Top 10 Wii U Games of 2013

Another year, another 365 days of gaming goodness to look forward to. Now that Nintendo’s new console is out the door and taking its first steps into the wonderful world of high definition, it’s time to look ahead into 2013 and get our blue-balls on. People have been skeptical about whether or not Nintendo’s promises of holding true to the “core gamer” will float, and with their track record over their last-gen console, Wii, can you really blame them?

But things have started so seem different now. The air is a little sweeter. The sun feels slightly warmer. Either global warming is in full swing or Nintendo’s making bigger efforts to hold their promise. In a year where people are preemptively jumping on the next-generation bandwagon let’s not forget that there are still some incredible efforts being made some fine developers. Let’s jump in.

10. Toki Tori 2

It’s been ten years since the original Toki Tori was released, from Netherlands developer Two Tribes. Being an adorable little platform adventure on the Game Boy Colour, it soon saw re-releases on Nintendo’s WiiWare, the PSN and even iOS. Now the sequel is well on its way delivering an even more endearing visual design that steps forward in place of any dialogue, which leaves the player to experiment with trial and error. Furthermore, a level editor has been integrated to give users the ability to craft their own stages using the Wii U’s GamePad and sharing with friends. Look forward to this gem coming out on the eShop sometime next year, ‘coz I don’t know about you, but we could all do with more fun puzzle-platformers.

9. Injustice: Gods Among Us

Ed Boon, one of the founders of development studio NetherRealm (Mortal Kombat), has taken on a rather interesting look at the DC Universe and put together a game that blends the kind of violence we’ve come to expect from fighting games with the likes of Wonder Woman and The Flash. DC characters aren’t strangers to typical fighting games (remember Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe back in 2008?), but this is the first time this roster of super heroes has been pitted against themselves in a video game – not just exclusively against their villains. What we get is a dark, blood-splatteringly violent take on icons who we’re meant to believe will defend us against huge threats we couldn’t face on our own. DC/fighting fans will have this to look forward to in the new year.

8. Bit.Trip Presents Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien

What do you get when you mix challenging platforming and music? Bit.Trip Runner. What do you get when Gaijin Games tries to one-up themselves on an already loved platform/rhythm game? Bit.Trip Presents Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien. This time around though we get a crip, three-dimensional visual style to help ease our pain over this challenging new piece of fun. Featuring some new bells and whistles to both the visual and gameplay design, Runner 2 strives to try new things while still remaining familiar to fans. And for those of us who’ve been gaming since the earlier years of this fine industry, there are plenty of nods and stages to tweak your nostalgia.